Chapter 991: Alternate Timeline: The Zheng (2)

Whether it was a human or a beast, fear toward the unknown existed naturally within every living creature, much like how even a mighty ocean would hesitate before swallowing a fire whose depth it could not measure.

There was a reason Kiara behaved arrogantly whenever enemies offended her.

It was because she already knew she would win.

Confidence born from certainty was not bravery.

It was a calculation.

Likewise, when facing her biological mother previously, Kiara proceeded carefully despite already possessing the power to subdue an eight-star Beast King, because she could not inspect the woman’s details through the system and therefore could not accurately measure the danger hidden beneath the surface.

Of course, everything could change if she somehow managed to capture this demigod beast standing before her.

But presently...

That possibility appeared painfully distant.

Naturally, Juren Frost also felt wary.

He could neither sense Kiara’s true strength nor understand the nature of the strange black Protos energy surrounding Noah’s daggers.

An unknown enemy was always the most dangerous kind.

Meanwhile, after personally experiencing the terrifying force hidden within that soundwave roar moments earlier, Kiara no longer dared to underestimate the Zheng’s violent temper.

At the same time, she also realized there was definitely history between Ares Frost and this beast.

Standing carefully behind Noah while allowing the android to shield her, Kiara finally spoke in a loud but calm tone.

"I do not know what happened between you and my Granduncle Ares, but one thing remains true."

"I inherited Lysander Frost’s bloodline."

"Whether you accept it or not, I will revive the Frost Clan from its ashes."

"If you wish to help me, then I will welcome you gladly."

"But if you do not wish to help..."

Kiara’s gaze sharpened.

"Then at least do not stand in my path."

The mountain wind swept across the abandoned village while her words echoed faintly between ruined buildings.

"My grandfather gave you his surname and accepted you into his family," she continued after a brief pause. "Even after his death, you guarded his grave for decades without abandoning your duty, and that alone proves your loyalty is real, so I believe you can at least honor his final legacy by allowing his bloodline to continue."

Juren Frost listened silently.

Gradually, the hostility within his expression weakened slightly.

His greatest weakness had always been his soft spot toward Lysander Frost.

After a moment, he finally replied in a calmer voice.

"You said you inherited his bloodline. Show me the proof."

Kiara’s eyes brightened inwardly the moment she heard those words.

Good. The Beast is hooked.

That alone was progress.

And for the first time since arriving at the mountain, she felt genuine hope regarding the quest.

Silently taking a deep breath, Kiara raised her hand toward the Zheng, whose guard still remained active.

"Absolute Freezing."

[-10000 EP]

The moment the bloodline skill activated, frost exploded outward violently and the surrounding temperature plummeted so quickly that even the air itself crackled sharply.

Within a single heartbeat, everything within a two-hundred-meter radius froze beneath layers of crystalline ice.

Ruined houses.

Broken stone paths.

Collapsed walls.

Everything transformed into silver-white frost.

Only Noah remained untouched, as he was bound to her.

But surprisingly, Juren Frost reacted quite fast.

Before the freezing aura could fully swallow him, he already leaped backward and landed smoothly upon the newly formed ice field.

Even then, his heartbeat skipped once.

His senses clearly detected the ancient aura hidden within the ice.

"The aura of the Frost Dragon..."

His eyes narrowed deeply.

"And such purity..."

For a brief moment, memories of his former master surfaced unconsciously.

"She truly carries the Frost Clan bloodline," Juren Frost thought silently. "Yet if this is the range and intensity of her strongest bloodline attack, then she should merely stand within the six-star rank..."

His gaze slowly shifted toward Kiara’s face.

"That uncanny resemblance still remains suspicious."

Clearing his throat lightly, the Zheng finally spoke.

"I admit that you possess the bloodline."

"But bloodline alone does not prove you are my master’s descendant."

"I only answered to Lysander Frost. Neither the Frost Clan nor the ancient Frost House holds authority over me."

Then his voice grew colder again.

"And more importantly... You are too weak."

"If this attack is your strongest technique, then you are unworthy of reviving the Frost Clan. Still, because of your bloodline and your resemblance to Madam Arianna, I shall permit you to pay respects to the departed souls."

Kiara frowned inwardly.

This development genuinely surprised her.

He wasn’t the first one to say that.

While even she agrees that she does take after her biological mother, whom she hates, that uncanny resemblance... Ares Frost told her that she indeed looked exactly like his sister-in-law. Even before that, King Caleb also mistook her for Arianna Frost.

Then why was this Zheng still doubting her identity?

Did this beast emperor require something more concrete?

Something undeniable?

Kiara suddenly thought of DNA testing.

The idea sounded ridiculous in a cultivation world, yet strangely logical.

Quietly inside her mind, she asked,

"System, can spirit beasts recognize DNA?"

She expected either a proper explanation or perhaps one of the system’s usual dismissive answers.

Instead...

[Ding! Is everything alright with the host’s head?]

Kiara’s lips twitched.

The system had always been sarcastic, but recently it became slightly calmer.

Now, apparently, it has evolved again.

"Wonderful," she muttered inwardly. "Now it mocks me too."

Still...

The system’s reaction unexpectedly sparked another thought.

Her eyes slowly widened.

"If beasts remember scent and blood..."

Suddenly, everything connected.

Meanwhile, Juren’s patience was steadily thinning because of Kiara’s prolonged silence.

Just as he prepared to warn her again, she suddenly smiled. "You stayed beside my grandfather for more than twenty years. As someone loyal enough to guard his grave even after death, surely you have not forgotten his scent..."

Her gaze sharpened carefully.

"Or the taste of his blood."

Juren froze slightly.

Since Lysander Frost did not possess any system or advanced beast-contracting abilities, he naturally used blood contracts to form connections with spirit beasts.

And a beast emperor would never forget such memories.

The Zheng slowly nodded.

"Yes."

Then he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"So?"

Kiara raised her hand again.

This time, there was no attack.

"You may test my blood yourself."

Juren Frost visibly paused.

"Blood..."

For the first time since their meeting, genuine uncertainty appeared inside his eyes.

Could this person truly be his master’s descendant?

After several moments, he finally nodded slowly.

"Very well."

Kiara inwardly sighed in satisfaction.

The gamble succeeded.

Turning slightly, she ordered softly, "Noah, cut my palm and draw blood."

Noah’s eyes widened instantly. "Big Sister..."

Even in imagination, hurting Kiara was something the android could never willingly do. How could he draw blood from her?

Kiara naturally understood his hesitation. However, unfortunately, she lacked sharp enough weapons and sufficient physical strength to easily draw blood herself.

After a long internal struggle, Noah finally stepped forward slowly.

The black Protos dagger appeared silently in his hand.

Then—

With extremely careful precision, he gently sliced across Kiara’s right palm.

*sssss*

A sharp burning pain spread instantly through her nerves, an involuntary hiss escaping her mouth.

She clenched her jaw tightly as warm blood slowly flowed downward.

Noah quickly retrieved a bowl from her inventory before carefully collecting nearly ten milliliters of blood inside it.

Afterward, the android immediately took out a healing ointment from Kiara’s inventory and applied the balm to her wounded palm, tightly with trembling fingers. "I’m sorry."

Kiara honestly did not care much about the wound.

Once she consumed the Peak Potion and entered the Supreme Realm, healing injuries through ether energy would become effortless.

Still...

Being cared for by Noah felt unexpectedly pleasant.

When she first met him, he wasn’t like this. Yes, he had certain emotions that Zion didn’t have, but his actions were often considered more in the lines of calculatively logical. The past Noah wouldn’t show that concern and worry on his face from just a minor wound. But now, Kiara could see that concern and affection as he tended to her wound.

Without knowing, a smile appeared on her face, and she simply stared at the Android.

Once the healing ointment was applied, Noah took out a cloth from the system’s inventory and closed the wound.

As Kiara then retracted her hand and ordered him, Noah stepped forward and handed the bowl toward the Zheng.

The Zheng stared quietly at the blood.

Throughout countless years, he devoured beasts, monsters, and even foolish adventurers.

Human blood itself was nothing unfamiliar.

The real issue was something else entirely.

If the blood truly resembled Lysander Frost’s... Then he might lose control of emotions buried for decades.

And if it did not...

Then killing Kiara afterward would become much easier because it would prove she lied.

Finally, Juren raised the bowl.

Then drank.

The moment the blood touched his tongue, his eyes widened sharply.

"What purity..."

An intense hunger instinctively surged inside him.

The blood felt rich.

Ancient.

Powerful.

Yet before that instinct could deepen...

A memory surfaced.

"Lysander..."